Today began lamenting the fact that the pool was closing today. So we made a plan to spend as much time as possible at the pool.

We wanted to thank our lifeguards for the amazing job they did this summer. And because it is National Banana Split Day we decided to make up "Banana Split To Go" Bags. We packed candies, nuts, and coconut into their bags. They just needed to add ice cream.(If you do this idea, we wrapped up nuts seperately and checked with each life guard for allergies first before we added them to their Banana Split bags)

Gotta love our tag line: Thanks a bunch...written on the bananas!

Then off to the pool where every feat imaginable was performed

and every goofy trick

And then it was time to go home and eat dinner so that we could...

Come back for more swimming!

Five hours of pool time today and the hope that we've saved up enough of it to last us until next year.

Sniff! Weep! Goodbye pool!

And now that the pool is closed my official mourning over Summer's End has begun.

When summer ends it puts one more year between me and my childhood. And that makes me grieve the passing of the season.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

My eldest set out a blue blanket for the ocean. The laundry basket is her ship, the basket tied to the laundry basket is holding the bag that she meticulously packed this morning while announcing she was headed off to sea...to see....

Treasure Island, of course.

We worked in the garden and yard while listening to the tales of Treasure Island.

And painted some chairs

and studied our bug friends

while basking in the sun

And later I went through a box of homeschooling stuff to get ready for the new year. See my Mediated Learning binder on the right there-- Essential to me for planning a new year.